The invention relates to breastpumps, and more particularly to a carrier for a breastpump.
Breastpumps are convenient for nursing mothers, such as for working mothers, because they allow nursing mothers to pump breast milk when the child is unavailable to feed. The expressed milk may furthermore be saved to feed to a child at a later time, when the mother may not be present. For some mothers, breastpumps are necessary when the child has suckling difficulties, or if the mother has problems with excessive, or alternatively deficient, milk production. Some mothers also require breastpumps in the event of soreness or injury of the breast.
Motor-driven pumps for breastpumps, such as battery-powered (D.C.) or conventional house-current powered (A.C.), have been marketed. The pumps are often made for operating two breastshield assemblies at once, i.e., providing for xe2x80x9cdouble pumping.xe2x80x9d
Carrying cases for motor-drive breastpumps have been developed. They generally comprise a rigid case from which the motor drive is removed for use.
A recent innovation is U.S. Pat. No. 5,776,098 (incorporated herein by reference), which describes a lightweight diaphragm-type motor-driven breastpump. The pumping mechanism is mounted within a support frame contained within a soft carrying case. The face of the breastpump has spigots for attaching tubing that connects to breastshield assemblies. It also has controls which regulate the vacuum and allow the pump to be turned on and off, that are accessible from the outside of the carrying case.
The carrying case described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,776,098 was commercialized as the Pump In Style breastpump. It furthermore has a number of compartments for storing such items as the breastshields, tubing, batteries, and a D.C. converter for use with an A.C. power supply. This carrying case allows for convenient transportation of the breastpump. The present invention builds upon the success of the foregoing Pump In Style(copyright)) carrying case, and represents another innovative device for carrying a breastpump and related equipment.
It is a principal objective of the invention to provide a breastpump carrier comprising a backpack. In one preferred embodiment, a horizontal shelf divides the interior of the backpack into a lower storage area and an upper storage area. The upper storage area is dimensioned to hold items such as the breastshields, tubing, a battery, a D.C. converter for use with an A.C. power supply, and the like. A vertical wall may be provided, as in one embodiment, to separate the lower storage area into a pump storage compartment and an insulated storage compartment. An access opening advantageously provides access to the pump storage compartment and the insulated storage compartment from the outside of the backpack.
The pump storage compartment is used for mounting/housing a motorized pump therein. One or two spigots are presented that are accessible from the outside for attaching tubing to one or two breastshields. The insulated storage compartment is lined with an insulating material, and is most advantageously used for storage of a plurality of baby bottles and a cooling means, such as an ice (e.g., gel) pack.
In a preferred form, at least one securable/sealable cover provides a closure for the access opening to the upper storage area, i.e., the top of the backpack. The backpack can have separate sealable covers for the pump storage compartment and the insulated storage compartment. Additionally, one or more pockets can be located on the sealable covers, the sides of the backpack, or elsewhere on the backpack.
One or two straps are attached to the exterior of the backpack. The straps have an upper shoulder engaging portion and a lower bottom portion, and are attached on the back of the breastpump carrier. The back straps are preferably adjustable. The backpack additionally can have a carrying handle mounted on the top of the breastpump carrier, for hand carrying.
In another form of the invention, the backpack has a single sealable cover to provide closure of the compartment(s) in the storage area. In addition, a separate sealable cover for the insulated storage compartment is located within the single sealable cover.
In yet another aspect of the invention, the horizontal shelf can be collapsed against the interior of the backpack, the vertical wall (where provided) can be collapsed, and the lining of the insulated storage compartment can be collapsed, to thereby form a single large storage area. The breastpump motor drive is removably mounted so that it can be taken out of its compartment. These collapsible features of the breastpump carrier then allow for general use of the backpack when it is not being used to specifically carry a breastpump.
In yet another form of the invention, the horizontal shelf and any other interior structure are connected in a detachable manner to the interior (sides, bottom, front, and/or back) of the backpack. These can then be temporarily removed from the interior of the breastpump carrier to form the large storage area.
In still another form of the invention, a pump container has the motor (and related pumping mechanism) therein, and is constructed to fit within a compartment in the lower portion of the interior of the breastpump carrier. The pump container allows for convenient removable mounting of the pump elements, providing a user direct access to the pump and controls, such as from the outside of the backpack, and easy removal of the same for the aforementioned use of the backpack alone.
Additionally, an insulated container is constructed to fit through the closable top of the backpack in the upper storage area. In the foregoing form of the invention, it rests on the horizontal shelf. The insulated container is primarily used for storage of a plurality of baby bottles and a cooling means, such as a coolant pack(s). The insulated container advantageously has a strap or handle for easy removal and handling. Remaining space in the top interior portion of the breastpump carrier may be used for storage of one or two breastshields, tubing, batteries, and infant needs, such as diapers, wipes, tissues, lotions, and medications.
These and other advantages of the present invention will be further understood and appreciated upon consideration of the following detailed description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which: